Parents of children with T-1 diabetes - Do you know how your behavior affects your child?

Back in October I wrote a post about Type 1 Diabetes from a child's perspective. As parents, we want to make everything better. We certainly don't set out to make it worse. But sometimes we do and we don't even realize that we are doing it. A few days ago Super Nanny visited a family with a child that has Type 1 diabetes. The child is newly diagnosed and the family is struggling to deal with it. I did not see the episode, but some of the comments on tudiabetes said that the mother was making the situation worse because of her fear for the well being for the child. One comment said that "she still is under the impression that diabetes means death".

Children need our support. We need to find a way to give it to them without making the situation worse or turning it around and making it about ourselves. I found an absolutely wonderful thread on the Childrens with Diabetes Forums. It's written by a (at the time) 13 year old boy and called A guide to parents written by a teenage diabetic. It's been on and off the forum front page for over two years now and was even published in Diabetes Health Magazine and featured on their website. Eric is a remarkable young man. And whether your child has diabetes, food allergies, lupus, or another chronic condition his words ring true. We as parents need to learn to not become obsessed with our child's condition and it's our job to help them learn to live life, and live life to the fullest with their condition.

Blogs that show/help us live life with diabetes:

Kayla's Life Notes is a blog by a young woman who was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It's about how she's learning to live her life with a new "normal".

Meet Christian Stokes, ADA National Youth Advocate (and amazing young man) from Diabetes Mine

Tips for getting a teenage boy to monitor and record PG consistently from tu diabetes

This post called Lean on Me - InsulIndependent Family talks about one man's weekend spent taking part in the Ironman Arizona and the support he felt surrounded by other diabetics. Although the love of his friends and family supports him they can never fully "get it" like another diabetics can. Did I mention he did an Ironman? I don't have diabetes. I can't do an Ironman. AMAZING!

So from all of these links and stories, it's a reminder to us that our children are just that: Children. And yes, it's our job to make sure they are testing and recording and staying safe, but they are NOT diabetes. And we need to treat them accordingly.

What do you hear from your communities? Do parents often go over board protecting their children at the expense of the child? Do you hear of children complaining? Do you have Type 1 diabetes and was/is this an issue for you? What suggestions do you have for parents to keep their children healthy without suffocating them?

I think this is an important topic. Please use these links and especially the link to Eric's Guide to parents written by a teenage diabetic to get this conversation going in your community.